French President Emmanuel Macron and Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim paid tribute to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who passed away on Thursday. Manmohan Singh was India’s 14th Prime Minister. 

French President Emmanuel Macron said that India has lost a great man and France a true friend, in the person of Dr. Manmohan Singh. The President added that  Manmohan Singh devoted his life to his country. 

Remembering the former Prime Minister, Malaysia PM Anwar Ibrahim said that the weight of grief bears down on him at the news of the passing of his cherished friend Manmohan Singh. He added that obituaries, essays and books, a plenty there will surely be about this great man, celebrating him as the architect of India’s economic reforms. As Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh was the midwife of India’s emergence as one of the world’s economic giant, he continued.

The Malaysia Prime Minister further recalled that not many people know this, and it is time that he share it with Malaysians that during the years of his incarceration, Manmohan Singh extended a kindness that he didn’t have to, one that was neither politically expedient nor, as one can imagine, appreciated by the Malaysian government at that time. Yet, true to his character, he did it anyway, he continued.

PM Anwar Ibrahim said that the former Prime Minister offered scholarships for his children, particularly his son, Ihsan. Although he had declined the gracious offer, such a gesture undoubtedly showed Manmohan Singh’s extraordinary humanity and generosity, demonstrative, as the Bard would have it, of a man so full of the milk of human kindness.

Speaking to the media, former Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe said that he has known Manmohan Singh since 1992, and had discussions with him. He remembered him as a good friend, a good leader, and one of those who made modern India.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh died due to age-related medical complications. He had been in poor health for the past few months. The funeral will be held at 9:30 am on Saturday with full state honours. Also, a seven-day state mourning will be observed throughout the country as a mark of respect to Dr Manmohan Singh. 

Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai whipped himself six times, as promised at a press conference held on Thursday. Notably, this self-flogging was first of his atonement for the inefficiency of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in ruling the state.

In the presence of mediapersons and BJP members, shirtless K Annamalai, wearing a green mundu, flogged himself with a long, white whip. Meanwhile, the BJP supporters were carrying placards with slogans such as Don’t you have any shame Stalin?, Hang accused Gnanasekharan and ShameOnYouStalin. 

Reportedly, the BJP Chief flogged himself about eight times before supporters rushed to make him stop. After the self-flogging, he addressed the media present there. K Annamalai said that anyone who understood Tamil culture would know that these practices were the ways of the land.

He added that flogging themselves, punishing themselves, putting themselves through very tough rituals etc. are all part of this culture. He continued that these practices are not against any person or not against anything. It is against the continuous injustice that’s happening in the state, he mentioned. 

He claimed that what has happened in Anna University is only a tipping point. He added that a lot of his forefathers walked this path and he has also chosen it. This is a process of surrendering to the higher power, surrendering to God, the BJP state chief added. He said that the common man was getting affected every day due to the administrative inefficiency of the DMK.

He further clarified why he decided to forego any footwear saying it was important to surrender yourself to a larger power. He said that he has taken this decision after a lot of consideration, and believes after all the hard work the party and cadres put in, it is also important that they surrender themselves to a larger power and leave it to the larger power to take care of the things that are happening.

K Annamalai, during a media address yesterday, vowed not to wear slippers until the DMK government was overthrown in the state. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday paid tribute to former PM Manmohan Singh who passed away last night. Manmohan Singh was India’s 14 Prime Ministers and one of the most respected economists. 

Remembering the former Prime Minister, Narendra Modi in a video message said that Manmohan Singh’s contribution to the development of India will always be remembered. He added that Dr Singh’s life was a reflection of his honesty and simplicity. He was a distinguished parliamentarian, and his life will always be a lesson on how a person can attain success by rising above deprivation and struggle, the Prime Minister continued. 

He said that the former Prime Minister will always be remembered as an honest man, a great economist and a leader who dedicated himself to reforms. He mentioned that as an economist, Manmohan Singh, provided a lot of service to the nation. During a challenging time, he served as RBI Governor and when he was Finance Minister in PM PV Narasimha Rao’s cabinet, he gave the country that was reeling under economic crisis, a new direction in terms of economy, Narendra Modi mentioned. 

PM Modi also recalled Singh’s life journey after his family migration to India, leaving behind everything following Partition. He continued that his life will always serve as a lesson for future generations on how someone can rise above deprivation and struggles to attain the heights of success. He further highlighted that despite being educated at the world’s prestigious institutes and occupying leading positions, the former Prime Minister and Congress leader never forgot the values of his normal background. 

PM Narendra Modi also visited Manmohan Singh’s residence to pay his respects. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP President JP Nadda also visited Singh’s residence. Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Rahul Gandhi also visited ex-PM’s residence to pay their tribute. 

Furthermore,  India will observe a seven-day mourning period, with government events cancelled today. The Congress party has also announced a seven-day mourning period, postponing celebrations for its founding day.

Reportedly, the funeral will take place on Saturday, and arrangements will be made for Manmohan Singh’s final resting place near Raj Ghat, the resting place of Mahatma Gandhi. The public viewing of Singh’s body will begin on Saturday at the Congress headquarters.